


Darkness

by ReginaNocis



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, I Don't Even Know, I'm so sorry, Not A Happy Ending, SO SAD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 17:11:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13617912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReginaNocis/pseuds/ReginaNocis
Summary: The pack are drawn back to Beacon Hills to fight an old enemy, but Stiles knows how to win without ever fighting at all.





	Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly don't know why this idea wouldn't leave my head. Nothing about this is happy. I'm sorry in advance.

Stiles had long ago given up on anything resembling normal, but he had hoped that moving away from Beacon Hills would help with the unnatural feeling of being watched all the time. Leaving the Nemeton behind had felt freeing… until it had started showing up in his dreams again.

  
He had called Lydia the first time, because it had felt right. But she had no insight, and he chose not to bother her anymore after that first time. Now it was the sixteenth time, and he hadn’t slept in a week. He couldn’t take anymore. He broke down and called Scott.

  
“It’s happening to you, too, isn’t it?” Scott asked in place of greeting. “I’ve been having the dreams again even though I’m nowhere near there anymore. Lydia said it was normal to have nightmares, but she wasn’t very convincing.”

  
“You called Lydia?” Stiles asked. It was the first clue he had, that Lydia connected both the dreams and hadn’t said a word. She knew something. “I did, too.”

  
There wasn’t much else to say, unfortunately. The Nemeton hadn’t shown them anything big. Fireflies and fog, mostly. And a chess game, still waiting to be finished. It was something Stiles had never shared with the others, though he thought that maybe Lydia knew. She was good with things beyond the grave, even if it was in a dream. That’s what banshees did.

  
He caught the next flight home from Miami, where he’d been taking classes for marine biology. It was as far from the supernatural world as he could get, but it hadn’t been enough. And even though he and Scott had decided it wasn’t worth traveling back, their planes landed at the same time. Lydia was waiting for them outside the gate, which had stopped surprising Stiles years ago.

  
“I thought you’d both be back a week ago. How could you hold out so long?” she asked, hugging them both in turn. “I didn’t tell the others.”

  
“Do I want to ask how you knew?” Scott asked. He took her self-satisfied smile as an answer and let it go. “Are the others together, at least?”

  
“I had Jackson call a meeting. He got back two days ago, on the earliest flight. Isaac showed up yesterday morning. You boys are the last to arrive,” she told them. “They’re all at my place, probably wondering where I went."

  
_"They’re probably all wondering where I went. I know Derek thinks werewolves stay in purgatory. I don’t know where I am, Stiles. I can see all of you struggling to move on, and I can’t help. I think this is Hell.”_

  
Lydia led them out to her car, not saying another word. Scott and Stiles shared a look before climbing in after her, unsure of what was coming. She seemed to know that, too.

  
“This may be the hardest thing we’ve ever faced, boys. None of us are ready,” she told them softly. It didn’t make them feel better.

  
_“Tell Scott that I love him. Tell Isaac that I’m so sorry. You know what… on second thought, don’t tell them anything. I don’t want them to know I’m here. I don’t want them to worry.”_

  
Everything was completely silent when they pulled up to Lydia’s house. The werewolves had to have heard them, but it was too tense for happy reunions. Even Liam, who would usually be so excited, was anxious. Jackson was the only one who regarded them calmly, even as Isaac hugged Scott. Lydia met Stiles’ eyes with a grim smile. On any other day, it would have been touching.

  
“What brought us back?” Isaac asked quietly. “Why is this happening?”

  
“Something is trying to break through the veil between the worlds. We have to assume, given all past experience, that this can only be bad. I think it’s either Peter or the Nogitsune. Either way, we can’t let them succeed,” Lydia said quietly. “I’ve been feeling them coming for a while, but they were never this close to success.”

  
_“If I could come back… I don’t know that I can, Stiles. And even if I could, I don’t believe I’d be welcome. I always do more harm than good.”_

  
Stiles didn’t know what to think. At least Peter could be killed. If the Nogitsune was coming back, what could that mean? The abandoned chess game echoed through his head. It would be the end of the world, quite literally. But he didn’t know how it could be stopped.

  
“What do we do?” Scott asked, jaw set. He would die before he let either of them come back. Stiles was just so tired of fighting. He’d barely won the last battle. He couldn’t fight another. He also couldn’t let his friends, his family, his pack down.

  
“I don’t know,” Lydia admitted. “None of the voices have been helpful. Every part of me is screaming to let this happen. It’s never been like this before. It’s like the spirits don’t want me involved in this. I think that’s why all of you are back.”

  
“Because the voices in your head stopped talking,” Liam said flatly. “You have to know how stupid that sounds. You’ve got nothing?”

  
“Control your child, McCall,” Jackson snapped, stepping closer to Lydia.

  
“Liam,” Scott chastised at exactly the same time.

  
“Arguing isn’t going to get us anywhere,” Stiles pointed out. “Lydia and I will hit the books to see what we can find about resurrection. Liam, go focus on graduating for now. You only have a few weeks to go. Scott, you, Jackson, and Isaac can patrol. Anything unusual gets reported to everyone else, got it?”

  
There was lots of nodding, but nobody moved. He knew it was because it had been so long since they were together as a pack. The missing members were gapingly obvious and missed, but it felt good even to Stiles that they were this close to being whole. If only they hadn’t lost Derek.

  
_“Stiles, please… don’t leave me here alone.”_

  
They sat in Lydia’s living room for over an hour not saying much at all. Scott let Liam chatter nervously about school, making noises at the appropriate times. Stiles heard Jackson compliment Isaac’s scarf once. Lydia offered food and drinks, but nobody could even think of eating. Stiles sat in the same chair silently, unable to offer anything resembling conversation. Too much of him was screaming that something big was coming. He was losing a battle he hadn’t known he was fighting. But even if he wanted to, he couldn’t ask for help.

  
Liam left first, claiming homework. Scott followed him, wanting to get home to his mother. Stiles already knew his father was with the McCall’s, but he couldn’t face him yet. It wasn’t time. Isaac asked him for a ride, and they left together. Jackson was staying with Lydia, so he turned down the offer of a ride with the promise to report anything he found that night. Stiles took Isaac to his old place, and then drove out to the preserve.

  
_“You know, I never thought you would be so selfish. Denying a final request, that’s harsh. When did you figure it out?”_

  
_“Allison would never give up on finding a way back. She would never stay away from the pack, because she would know that she always has a place, no matter what she’s done.”_

  
_“Damn. Next time I’ll get it right.”_

  
The Nemeton was in the same place, but the ground had repaired itself. It looked exactly the same as it had the very first time Stiles had ever seen it, with one obvious exception. The jar with the Nogitsune firefly was sitting on the top instead of buried in the roots. And it was empty.

  
_“Give up, Stiles. She is never coming back, but I am. Your hope might get in my way, but it is easily destroyed. Tell me, what will you do when it’s gone?”_

  
He shattered the jar without a thought, the glass cutting into his palm as he squeezed. The pain brought the world into focus and he knew what he needed to do.

They were all stronger than him, and not just physically. They would never give up, never let the evil spirit win. And he was giving up. He couldn’t carry on this way. It was a losing battle. He’d lost all hope the day the Nogitsune had killed Derek with Stiles’ own hands. It was somebody else’s turn. Stiles couldn’t win, but he knew who could.

  
He’d looked up the runes months ago, at his lowest point. He’d hoped it would never come to this, but he couldn’t be sad. It felt right. He used the blood from the glass to draw the right ones, and then he pulled the lighter out of his pocket.

  
“ _You’re not strong enough to win, Stiles. You never were.”_

  
_“No, I know.”_

  
_“Then how do you hope to stop me?”_

  
_“I don’t. But I know who can. The only way to kill a Nogitsune is to change the host body.”_

  
_“No. You wouldn’t.”_

  
But he would. There was no time to say goodbye for himself, so he could only hope that she would do it for him. He believed that she would. Without another thought, he flicked the lighter and set himself on fire.

  
There was no pain as the runes flared brightly. Instead, he felt peace. As the world faded to black, he knew he`d done the right thing. He’d be with Derek again, and he could watch their pack live the way they were always meant to. He wouldn’t bring them anymore pain.

  
And from his ashes, Allison Argent sat up with tears in her eyes.

_"Thank you."_


End file.
